News

MV man arrested in fatal crash

DUI suspected in wrong-way driver on Hwy. 101 in Gilroy Saturday

A Mountain View man was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter in a crash on U.S. Highway 101 early Saturday that killed one person and injured three, California Highway Patrol officials said today.

Casey Matthew Olson, 22, was arrested after CHP officers said he was driving a Honda van in the wrong direction on the southbound side of Highway 101 north of Blossom Hill Road prior to colliding with multiple vehicles, according to the CHP.

CHP officers were dispatched to the site of the accident at about 2 a.m. and upon arrival, they found lanes blocked by vehicles and debris, according to Officer Ross Lee.

A 2000 Honda van driven by Olson was traveling north in the southbound lanes of the highway, sideswiped a tour bus with about 25 passengers inside and also hit a 2014 Honda car, CHP officials said.

The van then collided head-on with a 2005 Dodge, Lee said.

The driver of a fifth vehicle, a 2005 Volkswagen, turned to the right to avoid the Honda van and Dodge and landed in a small ditch on the west side of the road where the car overturned. However, the two occupants of the Volkswagen were able to exit the vehicle safely, according to the CHP.

The driver of the Dodge got out but his passenger, 25-year-old Christian Reyes, of Gilroy, was pinned inside in the right front seat.

Despite efforts by San Jose fire personnel to extricate Reyes, he died at the scene, Lee said.

Olson, the driver of the Honda van, was taken to San Jose Regional Medical Center for treatment for major injuries.

The 21-year-old Gilroy man who drove the Dodge suffered moderate injuries and was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

The 24-year-old Castroville woman who drove the Volkswagen was treated for minor injuries but was not transported to a hospital, according to the CHP.

The collision is still being investigated, Lee said.

— Bay City News Service

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